Showdown – Ford Battle Wagon Battle

In our last Showdown, the Super-Shag Dodge walked away with it by a handy margin. We’re still creeped out. On to more tasteful times… To many, there’s no beating the aesthetics of cars from the 50s. They’ve got large-radius curves, acres of chrome and dashboards that will certainly kill you in a crash with detail befitting a fine watch. Of course, they they also tend to be overpriced, underpowered, poor-handling land barges. Some of us prefer a car with more modern feautres… say, something from the mid-to-late 60s. Such is the conflict in today’s Showdown… Up first is what looks to be a gorgeous 2-door 1955 Ford Ranch Wagon. It’s sporting a 272ci Y-Block V8 and a three on the tree. The black paint looks good, and the one interior shot shows us a sweet looking steering wheel and a front 1/3 of the bench seat that looks to be in good shape. The good news is, at least one axle’s been upgraded to disc brakes. All in all, it’s a sweet ride that’s managed to last 55 years without being derby-ed or given a 460c.i. + AOD swap. On one hand $7500 is a lot of money. On the other, $7500 is pretty cheap when you’re talking about (mostly) original rides from the 50s. Craigslist LA (Even though the car’s in San Diego) 1965-1967 represent a golden era for cars. They’ve got the slimer, sharper styling of the first half of the 60s, combined with the advances of the later 60s. Advances? In this case that means things like air conditioning, three speed autos, power steering and brakes (which might even be front discs!) and the occasional coil spring rear suspension. Case in point: this 1965 Ford Country Squire. Residents of the automotive internet might recognize this as Mr Jalopy’s famed HooptyWagon. Turns out he unloaded it a while ago, and the current seller is the next owner. It’s got all the “modern” features listed above, along with a custom interior the coolest custom “wood” siding you’ll ever see. Power comes from a 4-barrel 390 breathing through a hearty exhaust. At $3500, it’s less than half the cost of the ’55 Ranch Wagon, but definitely misses out on a bit of that 50s charm. Craigslist LA [poll id=”8″]